No vs. Not is a tough gem of English grammar for many native-speakers to explain. But, here we go...
WHEN TO USE NO.
Rule #1
Let's begin with the use of No. The most obvious use is with questions that require a No answer.
Example: No, I do not have a car. OR...No, I don't.
(Question: Do you have a car?)
In the above example, the answer is negative (as indicated by No).
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Rule #2
The second case is the use of No before a noun that has an adjective.
Examples:
His car has no movable seats.
Joyce has no gray hairs!
In English an adjective (i.e. movable; gray) always comes before a noun (i.e. seats; hairs) and requires "no" before the adjective followed by the noun.
Rule #3
The last rule with No requires No before a noun with no article.
Examples:
The car has no wax on it.
Our little dog, Tippy, is no match for the big German Shepherd that lives down the street.
When chicks are born, they have no feathers.
There are no children in this small town.
The nouns wax; match have no article before them, such as "a", "an", or "the".
WHEN TO USE NOT.
Rule #1: Not comes before a noun that has an article in any given negative sentence.
Examples:
That is not the car I ordered.
This is not a pen I would give as a gift.
These women are not the group we were expecting.
Mr. Jones is not an option the officials would choose as a referee for this baseball game.
That family is not the Smiths. It's the Johnsons.
In the above first example there is the noun (i.e. car), and the definite article (the). Study the other examples above that use the other underlined articles.
Rule #2: Not comes before possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, our, your (2nd person plural), their. Also, Not comes before object pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs.
Examples using Not before possessive adjectives.
This is not my car.
The field is not her property.
Filmmaking is not our business.
Is this not your necklace? (The question asks for an affirmation or a negative response. Ex: Yes, it is...or, No, it isn't.)
Are these not their worksheets?
Examples using Not before object pronouns.
Those vehicles are not theirs.
That laptop is not mine.
These signatures are not ours!
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Rule #3: Not is used before proper names of possession.
Examples:
That house is not Mr. Miller's.
The dresses are not Sally's.
This car is not Chris's. OR...This car is not Chris'.
Rule #4: Another rule is to use Not before these quantifiers: any, a lot, many, much and enough.
Examples:
1. There are not any sports cars at this dealer.
Also, you can write it like this: There aren't any sports cars at this dealer (the contractions with not can be used, as in this example - are not or aren't).
2. That's not a lot of money for a Ferrari.
3. There are not many cars on the street.
4. I'm not much of a car buff.
5. It's not enough to just think about learning to drive.
NOTE:
Please do not confuse the rules above with the use of contractions: Ex: don't = do not; aren't = are not; isn't = is not. These contractions all use the word "not", which is obvious, except in a sentence like this: Do you have no shame? (You can never say: Do you haven't shame? This is grammatically incorrect.). But, you could say: "Haven't you any shame?"; "Have you no shame?" The British would say these two sentences. Usually, these constructions are considered a very formal way for an American to speak. However, we might say these last two examples just to be funny. So, now you are really confused, right!?😀Don't be! Remember, you can use contractions with NOT in negative sentences. See below...
Rule #5: Not is used before adverbs, like there, here, and before adjectives, such as pretty, clumsy, dreary, etc.
Examples:
His house is not there. OR, His house isn't there.
The dogs are not here. OR, The dogs aren't here.
Those blue dresses are not pretty.
Jeff is not clumsy, but just intimidated in front of girls.
The book isn't dreary. It just describes real life situations.
Rule #6: Not used before verbs. Not can be used in imperatives (or command) sentences before verbs, like go, walk, make, etc., and past participles, like gone and been, etc. Also, use modal verbs in the negative with not like: should not, would not, could not, must not, etc. These words can also be contractions: shouldn't, wouldn't, couldn't, mustn't, etc.
Examples:
Let's not walk on the grass...OR, Don't walk on the grass!
Do not make that cake with icing!
I would not go to his house alone anymore, if I were you.
Do not go there! OR, Don't go there!
The little boy has not gone home, yet. OR, The little boy hasn't gone home, yet.
That pop band has not been to Brazil. OR, That pop band hasn't been to Brazil.
Shouldn't you go to bed? (Using the contraction here is more American English.).
Couldn't that man be her husband? (Using the contraction here is more American English.).
We must not stay out after dark...OR, We mustn't stay out after dark.
You are that much closer to speaking impressive and incredible American English!
